Is Rubin's "taking-in" and "taking-hold" a useful paradigm?

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Maternal-Child Health
• Psychosocial Adaptation

Background:

• Reva Rubin's model of maternal adaptation, including "taking-in" and "taking-hold" phases, has long guided postpartum nursing practice.
• Contemporary postpartum women may exhibit different adaptation patterns than those described in Rubin's original theory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the applicability of Rubin's "taking-in" and "taking-hold" concepts to contemporary hospitalized postpartum women.
• To assess whether the traditional phases accurately describe the experiences of women after uncomplicated vaginal births.

Main Methods:

• A repeated measures survey was conducted with 95 women hospitalized after uncomplicated vaginal births.
• The Martell Postpartum Questionnaire-Revised (MPQ-R) was used to measure "taking-in" and "taking-hold" behaviors.
• Content validity of the MPQ-R was established by an expert panel.

Main Results:

• The study found that participants did not fit neatly into either the "taking-in" or "taking-hold" categories.
• Participant responses indicated a blend of characteristics from both phases, suggesting a more integrated or varied experience.
• Reliability analysis (Cronbach's alpha) for the MPQ-R subscales yielded results from .40 to .60, potentially due to response variability or distribution.

Conclusions:

• Rubin's "taking-in" and "taking-hold" model appears to have limited utility for understanding the experiences of contemporary postpartum women.
• Postpartum nursing practice may benefit from a more nuanced approach that acknowledges the diverse and potentially blended adaptation patterns observed.
• Further research with refined instruments is recommended to better capture modern maternal adaptation.